AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The average price at the pump across the Austin area fell this week for the first time since January, according to the latest AAA Texas Weekend Gas Watch.
The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel across the Austin-San Marcos metro area is $2.57 this week, down one cent from last week and 77 cents higher than this time last year. Across the state, drivers are paying an average of $2.63, down one cent from last week and up 81 cents from a year ago.
Nationwide, drivers are paying an average of $2.87, down one cent from last week and 78 cents higher than a year ago.
Across the state's major metro areas, drivers in El Paso are paying the most on average at $2.96 a gallon, while drivers in the Sherman-Denison area are paying the least at $2.48 per gallon.
Analysts say regional refinery utilization increased around eight percent week-to-week to about 79 percent for the Gulf Coast, while supplies remained steady. Demand increased to 8.6 million barrels per day - a figure that is still lower from this same time last year due to COVID-19 impacts.
“Drivers are still filling up with the some of the most expensive gas of the year,” said AAA Texas spokesperson Daniel Armbruster. “However, thanks to increased refinery production and a healthy gasoline supply, the upward trend in retail fuel prices seems to have taken a pause for now.”
Drivers in Texas are paying some of the cheapest gas prices in the U.S., ranking 4th lowest in the country, according to AAA.
